Texas State Guard Marksmen Take Top Honors in Texas Military Forces Sniper Competition
COL Robert Hastings, PAO, TXSG
2011/05/06
CAMP MABRY, AUSTIN, TEXAS – For the second time this year, marksmen from the Texas State Guard (TXSG) have taken top honors in a Texas Military Forces (TXMF) small arms marksmanship competition.
For 1st Lt. Douglas George and Lt. Col. Troy Smith, teamwork, training and communication are the keys to being recognized as the best long-range riflemen in the Texas Military Forces.
1st Lt. George, a staff officer with the J3 Directorate of Training, is the overall individual winner of the 2011 TXMF Sniper Training Competition, earning the Governor's Twenty Tab for marksmanship excellence. 1st Lt. George has now earned the Governor's Twenty Tab in all four small arms competitions; rifle, pistol, light machine gun and sniper. 1st Lt. George is only the sixth marksman in the Texas Military Forces history to achieve this milestone and is the first member of the TXSG to do so. The Governor's Twenty Tab recognizes the top twenty marksmen in the Texas Military Forces distributed as follows; eight for rifle, eight for pistol, two for light machine gun and two for snipers.
“I’m pleased to be able to represent the Texas State Guard in these competitions,” said 1st Lt. George. “Competing side-by-side with our colleagues in the Army and Air National Guard is not only personally rewarding but validates the role of the TXSG as an important part of the Texas Military Forces.”
Additionally, 1st Lt. George and Lt. Col. Smith, a company commander in the Texas Medical Brigade, were recognized as the 2011 top sniper team. Sniper competition is a team event in which both members contribute to the success of each other's performance. Lt. Col. Smith has now earned three Governor’s Twenty Tabs, two for rifle and one for pistol.
“We’re all incredibly proud of these two officers for their performance in this competition,” said Maj. Gen. Ray Peters, Commanding General of the TXSG. “The professionalism and drive for excellence that they have demonstrated reflects the best of what it means to be a TXSG volunteer.”
“I attribute the victory to an expectation of success that my sniper partner Lt. George and I have in common and our ability to effectively communicate with each other during the stress of competition,” said Lt. Col. Smith.
The 2011 TXMF Sniper Training Event was held April 30th thru May 1st at Camp Swift, Texas. Five teams representing all components of the TXMF participated in this challenging competition that tested the skills of soldiers in long range rifle engagement. Teams were required to engage targets at unknown distance that ranged from 200 meters to 700 meters in very windy conditions (10-30 MPH). They were also required to demonstrate marksmanship skills with the M-9 pistol and the M-16 rifle.
This is the second marksmanship championship that the TXSG has won this year. Earlier, the TXSG’s 19th Civil Affairs Regiment took top honors in the 30th Annual Texas National Guard Combat Pistol Match.
The Texas State Guard is one of three branches of the Texas Military Forces (TXMF), operating under the command of the Adjutant General of Texas and the Governor as Commander-in-Chief of all state military forces. The TXMF includes the Texas Army National Guard and the Texas Air National Guard.
The mission of the Texas State Guard (TXSG) is to provide mission-ready military forces to assist state and local authorities in times of state emergencies; to conduct homeland security and community service activities under the umbrella of Defense Support to Civil Authorities; and to augment the Texas Army National Guard and Texas Air National Guard as required.
Headquartered at Camp Mabry in Austin, Texas, the TXSG functions as an organized state militia under the authority of Title 32 of the U.S. Code and Chapter 431 of the Texas Government Code.